


Worth the Pain

by sugarandspace



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Immortality Issues (Shadowhunter Chronicles), M/M, Mortal Alec Lightwood, Mortal Rafael Lightwood-Bane, Past Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-25 23:49:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20732744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarandspace/pseuds/sugarandspace
Summary: Sundays were park days, and Magnus still liked to stop by the park every now and then. This particular Sunday also happened to be his and Alec’s wedding anniversary, so he’d sat down on the familiar bench.





	Worth the Pain

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [sh_ficletinstruments](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/sh_ficletinstruments) collection. 

> **Prompt:**
> 
> "I regret nothing."

It’s a beautiful day.

Magnus is sitting on the bench in the park near the loft. It’s the very same park where they had taken the boys when they were small, and not much has changed in the years that have passed. There is a playground a little to the left and a big grassy area right in front of the bench, on the opposite side of the dirt path that goes around the park. They used to play many games in that field.

Magnus’ lips curve up with a slight smile as he thinks about one particular game of soccer and the way Alec had tackled him to the ground. He’d claimed that it was an accident but Rafael - always the rightful one - had sworn that he saw his dad do it intentionally. Max had been too busy using the opportunity to score a goal.

Sundays were park days, and Magnus still liked to stop by the park every now and then. This particular Sunday also happened to be his and Alec’s wedding anniversary, so he’d sat down on the familiar bench.

Someone sits down next to him, and Magnus is brought back from his memories. Max puts his arm around his father’s shoulders and only then does Magnus realise that he’s been quietly crying.

“I miss them too,” Max says, his voice quiet and gentle.

It’s been almost half a century since Alexander passed, close to thirty since it was Rafael’s time to go.

“I don’t know if I can stay with Lucy,” Max says quietly after a while of silence has passed. “I don’t know if I can go through the pain of losing her or the kids we might adopt.”

Max is referring to his mundane girlfriend, a lovely woman who he has been seeing for a few years now. Magnus has seen how happy she makes his younger son and how obviously in love they are. Their situation kind of reminds him of him and Alec, and Magnus dries his tears before he speaks. 

“It is obviously your choice to make,” Magnus starts. “But my advice to you is that when you find love, you hold onto it. You might have a long life ahead of you, but love can be one of the things that makes those years worth something.”

“It’s worth the pain that will follow?” Max asks, to which Magnus has a simple answer.

“I regret nothing.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked my angsty take on the prompt!


End file.
